rogue ⇒ l.h

[10]

[10]

his name was cade. the name tasted weird in my mouth when i said it out loud to bid my— dare i say— new friend from the library.

we had agreed to meet in the library everyday and after that, i wondered to myself what i had just signed up for.

the idea of a new friend, someone to be able to talk to and hang out i freely thrilled me. and it was cade himself who had wanted to be friends with me. what could have drawn him to me, out of all the people? all i did was sit at my corner and read, just like everyone else. nevertheless, i was grateful and happy. i never had a friend other than raven and luke.

LUKE! i was supposed to have lunch with him at one— now it was already one thirty. i think i got so carried away with cade that i forgot about him. i slapped my forehead and groaned. at least i was late by only half an hour.

i dugged my handphone from my pocket and saw that i had two miss calls and three texts all from luke. afraid i might meet his wrath over the phone, i sent him a message telling him how sorry i was for being late and that i would come immediately.

i arrived at the restaurant by foot and was panting from the run i just had. i burst into luke's booth. "i'm so sorry! i was at the library and i got held up by cade and forgot about our lunch and—"

i was cut off by luke's finger at my lip. "shh, it's okay. you're here now aren't you?" he cocked his head, "who's kate? i don't remember you having a friend other than raven."

the truth of that stung. i felt my face turn a shade redder but hoped luke wrote it off as my sprint here. "it's cade actually, not kate. he's a guy i just met at the library and he wanted to be my friend." i smiled.

luke however darkened and answered "don't simply make friends with strangers, you never know they might have an ulterior motive."

i felt the need to defend cade although i just met him, "you were a stranger too before i became your friend!"

right at the moment, the waiter came to collect our order. it was like someone pressed an imaginary 'pause' button for us to stop fighting and order first. luke's jaw tightened as i ordered only a packet of fries, saying i was full (i had no apetite).

when the waiter left, i sighed, "i don't want to fight with you luke."

he glared at the napkin in his hand. "you're getting mad over nothing, i was just making a friend. is that bad? are you and raven supposed to be my only friends? you can't control my life." i spoke in a calm manner, contrary to the boiling displeasure inside me.

i touched his hand over the napkin when he didn't speak. he broke. "i'm sorry anna, i was just being overprotective. you're my friend and i don't want anything happening to you, i want to keep you safe. you're the only one like me." luke cast his blue eyes at me.

i decided at that moment that no eyes will ever be this blue, this deep and vibrant and beautiful. "i want to protect you anna."

the simple words made me crack. lines opened on my skin, the fissures splitting everywhere. i didn't say the words but i decided too that i wanted to protect luke, even if i had to lay my life down for him.